More than conquerors

Romans 8:37, "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."

Is there an area of your life that you have struggled with far too long? Perhaps even since childhood? Do you find yourself falling in the same area over and over? Maybe you are even too embarrassed to approach the Throne AGAIN to ask forgiveness. I've heard it many times; in fact, I've even felt the same myself. Yet when I sought the face of God anyway, God met me there and didn't frown, or chastise me. He forgave me.
I want to talk about those stubborn areas of your life where perhaps you even feel hopeless that things will ever change. You have been this way sooooo long but see not change, as hard as you try. Well, let me share a word of encouragement from Beth Moore's book, Praying God's Prayer:
"The enemy taunts us with whispers like, 'You'll never be free. You've tried a hundred times. You go back every time. You're hopeless. You're weak. You're a failure. You don't have what it takes.' Every one of these statements about you is a lie if you are a believer in Christ. You do have what it takes. You have Jesus - the Way, the truth, and the Life. But you can't just believe in Him to be free from your stronghold. You must believe Him. Believe He can do what He says He can do. Believe you can do what He says you can do. Believe He is who He says He is. And believe you are who He says you are" (pg. 35).

Have you heard those whispers lately? It's time to see those lies for what they are and to choose to BELIEVE GOD. You can overcome and have glorious visible victory!

Diane

strength, for life!

Before leaving for vacation, I had all my prescriptions filled. I have quite a few and they each meet a need for my physical problems: for strength, for life! As I looked at the containers of my medicines, I noticed they recorded many things. There was the phone number for the pharmacy which I called to order the prescription. My name was recorded, then the name of the medication. The doctor's name was on the label with the special instructions for me to follow.
If I made my own choice of what and when to take the medicines, I could lose my strength or even my life. I need to trust in the doctor and the pharmacist. The cost was great! I read, too, that a certain medicine was a "substitute" brand for the "real" medicine. Also recorded on the bottle is the original date I received the prescription.
As I continued to pack, I was reminded of something else I needed to take along - my Bible! God has written this, and in it He gives me His directions for life. Like Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord...and He will direct my path."
We need to call on the Lord; His is always there for us. He hears and answers our prayers. As a child nine years old, I learned I needed Christ in my life. I prayed and called out to Jesus to forgive my sins and come into my heart. (John 3:16) He has given me instruction and direction in His Word.; and I need to follow them. If I choose to do things my own way, I fail. Joshua 24:15, "Choose this day whom you will serve."
Christ is more than a doctor; He is my Savior. There is no substitute! Christ died in my place. He recorded my name in Heaven back in 1942. Jesus wrote, "I am the way, the truth and the life." - John 14:6. I'm glad I didn't put off asking Him into my heart back then. I've had years of joy that have filled my life, years of reading His Word and praying. I've tried to heed His warnings and trust in Him. He has given me life - eternal life - and it's free!

Dottie

The Lord's Confidence

"The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them." Psalm 25:14

A few weeks ago at our Higher Ground meeting (our Monday night women's Bible study/support group) we were discussing the holiness of God. And one of the women raised here hand and said, "Some where in the Bible, I'm not sure where, it says God confides in those that fear Him." That sounded awfully familiar. Then it struck me. During our banquet season in September, Tom Paschke was the featured speaker. His theme was "My Life in a Box". I had an opportunity to hear Tom a couple of times and each time he referred to this verse. So when it was brought up at Higher Ground I went looking for Psalm 25:14. And there it was, "The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them."
Do you fear Him today? Can you imagine? The Lord of Hosts, Creator, King, Master, and sustainer of the universe, wants to confide in you. He wants to make His way known to you. Are you listening?
Psalm 25:4-5 makes a great prayer: "Show me your ways O Lord, teach me your paths, guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior and my hope is in you all day long."

Diane

Wise as an OWL ? or a Christian?

Are you a Wise Christian? That might be a tough question to answer without knowing what I'm really asking. So, here are some statements about what makes up a Wise Christian.

1. A Wise Christian in one who is in the Pursuit of God: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Prov 9:10) What is more, I consider everything as a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord...(Phil 3:8)

2. A Wise Christian is one who Applies God's Word in a living way: The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double -edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Heb. 4:12)

3. A Wise Christian knows the Importance of Prayer: For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer...(1 Peter 3:12)

4. A Wise Christian Values Fellowship with Godly People: He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. (Prov 13:20) Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up" (Ecc. 4:9-10)

5. A Wise Christian Shares the Word of God: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,... and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you... (Matt 28:19-20) That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome. I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes...(Romans 1:15-16).

So how are you doing on the wise scale? I know I fall short at times, however, I know we can all grow in wisdom and strength if you continue to pursue Godly wisdom.

LDJ

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Amongst the Stars

Isaiah 40:26, "Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing."

Have you ever taken a good look at the stars? I mean a really good look? Before we moved to the "city" we lived in a country-like setting where the stars were pretty visible at night. I remember stepping out on my back porch many evenings and gazing at the stars and saying either out loud or to myself, "Lord, if you can keep each of those stars in place, and call them all by name, you can surely handle my problems." A sense of comfort would wash over me.

Suffering often causes us to be very self-focused. What looms large in our thinking and vision is our problems which tend to captivate much of our attention and drain our mental and emotional energy. If our problems are looming large in our thinking, then God is not. If we are captivated by them, then we are not captivated by Jesus Christ. "Sinclair Ferguson stated, we should 'expend our energies, admiring, exploring, expositing, and extolling Jesus Christ."1 Jerry Bridges penned the following prayer in his book, The Joy of Fearing God: "Lord, fill my heart and mind with awe and adoration as I think upon your greatness." When we mediate on God's majesty and greatness, it tends to put our problems in perspective.

One way to meditate upon the greatness of God is to consider the heavens. Take time to pause and gaze upon the stars. You can only see a speck of what it out there. On a really clear night, the naked eye can see 1-3 thousand stars, more depending on what hemisphere you live in. Even in ideal conditions and location it is still less than ten thousand stars. Bridges asked an astrophysicist how many stars are in the universe and this was his response: "there are about one hundred billion galaxies, each one containing about one hundred billion stars." (pg. 56) That's a lot of stars - yet God created them, sustains them and calls them each by name. Do you think He can handle your problems?

Diane
1 Sinclair Ferguson quoted in The Cross Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney (pg.51)
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Paul's Prayer

Today you get a break. I want you to sit back and think about someone you would like to bless today through prayer. Okay, did you think of someone? I took some liberties with one of Paul's prayers so you can just fill in the blanks. What can be more powerful than praying God's Word back to Him? You already know it's true and according to His will. What could be better?

Ephesians 3:16-21:

Lord, I pray that You would grant ____, according to the riches of Your glory, to be strengthened with might through Your Spirit in his/her inner man, that Your Son Jesus may dwell in _______'s heart through faith; and that he/she, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of Jesus Christ which passes knowledge; that he/she may be filled with all Your fullness. Thank You Lord that you are able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that I ask or think, according to the power that works in me. Lord, may Your name be glorified in the church because of Jesus Christ to all generations, forever and ever, Amen.

Blessings for a day of peace.

Diane

The sweetness of surrender.

"My times are in your hand..." Psalm 31:15

I had been a believer for about 15 years. I still remember it. I was visiting my family for my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. My husband, children and I were staying in our trailer in my sister's front yard. I had not yet been hired at America's KESWICK, but I was reading through Bruce Wilkinson's book, Personal Holiness in Times of Temptation which they were using in the Colony of Mercy.
As I read, I came across what Wilkinson referred to as the Ceremony of Consecration, and at 6:30 am Sept 10, 1999 on the floor of my trailer I prayed this prayer:

"Dear Heavenly Father,
I hereby kneel in humility before Your Throne.
I come into Your presence of my own free will and want to be here with You.
You are the most gracious and loving Person in the universe.
Your kindness to me has no boundaries or limits.
Your lovingkindness guides everything You do toward me.
Your mercies are new every morning, great is Thy faithfulness!
Your love sent Jesus Christ to die in my place and give me eternal life.
I now respond to Your love and give myself to You in this solemn moment.
Forgive me for taking so long to come to this point o f total consecration.
I hereby lift myself up to Your altar, and present myself to you as a living sacrifice.
I consecrate and dedicate myself to Your for the rest of my life.
Thank You for accepting this sincere presentation!
In Jesus' name, amen." (pg. 77)

It was a life-transforming moment. I finally surrendered ALL of my life to Christ. I finally trusted Him completely. From that time on, I have prayed many times, "Lord, my times are in Your hands."

How about you? Have you fully surrendered or are you holding something back? Give it all to Him. He holds your life in the palm of His hand. Trust Him.

Diane

Who Are You?

Years ago during a financially lean time, God gave me a cleaning job to help my husband provide for our family. In one of the numerous office cubicles I cleaned hung a plaque which read, "Character is who you are when nobody but God is watching." - Author unknown.

I remember not being able to get that phrase out of my head, and thus I have remembered it until this day. Many times over the years this phrase has come to mind and I have been prompted to ask myself, "Stephanie, who are you when no one is watching?" Are you doing all that is up to you to do to live at peace with all everyone in your live? Are the words that come from your mouth and the meditations of your heart acceptable in the sigh of the Lord?

"Does your talk equal your walk or do you need to be reminded today, that you are a Christian?" My answer is yes and yes. Yes, my walk equals my talk and yes, I need to be reminded that I am a Christian. It could go with out saying that there are days I wish I could relive because I walked in them so poorly. In those days I wander far from acceptable meditations. I thank God then and now, for His faithfulness, even when I am unfaithful in my faith walk. I praise Him for the Holy Spirit's presence in my heart and life because apart from it I would be a woman most unknown.

My Question For You Today:
Who are you when no one but God is watching?

Stephanie

Ephesians 4:32?

Can you recall the verse Ephesians 4:32? Perhaps you memorized it as a child in Sunday School. "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." What a command the apostle Paul has given us in that verse! However, we should include reading 4:31 first and heed this command, also. "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice." Now, read these verses together and notice that God was careful to have Paul record them all. The answer or way to keep from these sins is to let Christ change your life and fill you with His love and kindness. How much should we forgive? - as much as God in Christ has forgiven us.
What a difference this would make in our lives - forgiving as Christ forgave! I'm not talking about the anger of the unsaved, but Christians who have accepted Christ's forgiveness and have Him in their lives, yet hold on to grudges, anger, unforgiveness and bitterness.
But you may say, "You don't know what I've had done to me." or, "I hurt so much I just can't forgive". You're right, no one does know your hurts, but Christ does! And He says you must forgive; you must love. 1 John 4:7-21 is a great chapter of instruction for all of us. Also, if you want to do a good Bible study on anger, bitterness and jealousy, read the recorded examples of Cain and Able or Jacob and Esau. My favorite is Joseph and his brothers! And don't forget Paul's life in the New Testament, and the greatest forgiveness - of Christ at His crucifixion. As you do these studies, you will find much guidance God has given in His Word. He knew you and I would need help with these sins in our lives. Listen to Him!
Anger, jealousy, unforgiveness, malice, and the rest will rob you of the joy and peace He wants you to have in your life. John 15:11-12, "That your joy may be full."

Dottie

Re-Focus

I want to share with you the essence of an interview with Gloria Gaither by Sharon Morris May, Ph. D. Sharon asked Gloria what she felt was the main struggle facing women today - this was her response.

FOCUS: There has never been a time that women have had so many demands placed upon them to be everything to everybody. Women legitimize their existence by doing and have worked themselves into another kind of bondage that say, "You have to do it all." My big concern for women is that we don't get segmented, so busy, so marginalized by a work ethic that they forget that we are the callers together of our families, of the community of believers and the larger whole of culture. There is a culture that says "let's pair down, let's focus on what is essential and what is eternal." We have lost this kind of community in our culture. I feel the role of the women is to call the community they are in to the essentials, to what is most important in life.

Sharon then suggests the following:

1. Each day decide what is most important to you and make all your decisions around that.

2. Realize your voice is of great importance in your family. What you focus on is what your family will make important. Choose wisely.

3. Find friends with whom you can re-focus. Call your sister on the way home from work to unload your day so you are better able to open the front door with an attitude of warmth and joy. Every morning and every night - greet your family with a genuine gratefulness of having them in your life.

So, what do you think? Why don't you think about trying to add some focus into your life and the life of those you come in contact with on a regular basis?

LDJ

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What really matters.

I was recently reading for the third time, The Cross-Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney. It is a pocket sized book packed with life-changing truths. Itcan easily be read along with your devotions in just a few days. In chapter 6, I came across a few statements that fit right in with a
Victory Call from earlier this month. Mahaney writes, "...Our habits
reflect our true selves - we all build our daily lives around our priorities
and passions." And again, "We make time for what we truly value. We build
habits and routines around the things that really matter to us."
Perhaps you recall the devotional I wrote last week titled, "Cuz I Wanna".
The main point was: We do what we do because, at that moment, it is what we
really want to do.

For example, I have heard all kinds of excuses for not having time to read
the Bible regularly (or at all). I have even made a few excuses myself. But
you know I almost always have time to eat. I rarely miss a meal. I almost
always have time to check my email. Other women have complained of not
having enough time, but they rarely miss their favorite TV shows, or seem to
find time to talk on the phone. Are any of these things wrong? Absolutely
not. But each day we make choices as to what we are going to do with these
twenty-four hours. At the end of the day we have lived out what was most
important to us that day.
When I hear women tell me their priorities are God, family, work, and then
watch while they consistently fail to spend time in the word, rarely eat
together as a family and spend lots of time at work, I think the only one
they are fooling is themselves.
We live out our priorities (our real ones not the ones we say) through the
choices we make moment by moment every day.

How are you doing? Are you in need of a priority realignment? Does your
heart need some adjusting? If this devotional speaks to your heart, don't
beat yourself up, take action. Remember, you make moment by moment choices.
You can live out your spoken priorities today through your choices.

Diane

Judging Others

Matthew 7:1 says, �Judge not, that you be not judged.� That�s how it reads in the ESV of God�s word. In The Message, which is the Eugene Petterson paraphrase, it reads like this, �Don�t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults�unless, of course, you want the same treatment.�
I love to read �My Utmost For His Highest, a devotional book by Oswald Chambers, compiled by his wife after his death and in continuous print since 1935. As I sat reading it a few years ago, the message for the day was about being critical of others. He wrote, �The average Christian is one of the most piercingly critical individuals known.� He went on to say, �Criticism serves to make you harsh, vindictive, and cruel, and leaves you with the soothing and flattering idea that you are somehow superior to others.� My Utmost For His Highest June 17th
When I read those words I cried and cried. My conscious was pricked by those stinging words and it hurt a lot. At that time I was being especially critical and judgmental towards certain people in my life and God used those famously penned words to bring rebuke, correction, conviction, confession, repentance and change - change that is in constant ebb and flow as I grow in the knowledge of Him.
Please don�t think this task was by any means easy, because it wasn�t and isn�t. If I don�t draw near and press in to God, my natural bent is toward being critical of myself and others. As a Christian, this simply will not do.
Jesus� words to the people ready to stone the woman caught in adultery are words that come often to my mind in the midst of being critical. �He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone.� John 8:7. While I pursue blameless living I am far from sinless. Who am I to look at the faults and failures of others and be critical? �Search me O God and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.� Psalms 139:23-24

My Challenge For You:
If you find you can relate in anyway to what I�ve shared today, go to God now, confess and allow His spirit to transform your heart in this area. You�ll be so glad you did!

Stephanie

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Cuz I Wanna

?But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.? Romans 7:23

I think we do what we do because, at the moment, it is what we really want to do.

We are all pretty busy, some more than others. Isn?t it odd that when we get a call to go to a meeting at church but we?re just too busy, but when a friend calls for lunch we seem to be able to squeeze out time to do that. The reality is, we don?t want to do the church meeting but we do want to spend time with our friend.

We do what we do because, at the moment, it is what we really want to do.

In one of our couples meetings last year, I was sharing with the couples that our words indicate what we really believe in our hearts. One of the men vehemently opposed that saying he has said terrible things to his wife, he didn?t really mean. I disagreed with him saying that at that moment, you certainly did mean it. Maybe he didn?t believe it in his calmer moments but in his fit of anger, I believe he said exactly what he meant.

We do what we do because, at the moment, it is what we really want to do.

Let?s hit a little closer to home. How about healthy eating. We say we want to eat healthy, but when it comes down to making a choice at lunch what do we choose? Do we choose the healthy option or not?

We do what we do because, at the moment, it is what we really want to do.

What is your life demonstrating you really want to do? In what areas of your life are you living out the ?cuz I wanna? attitude?

Diane

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The key to spiritual maturity is applying God's Word to your life!

Sometimes we confuse Bible knowledge with spiritual maturity. We think by knowing more about the Bible, it automatically makes us better Christians. You can read and read, even memorize, verse after verse, but until you apply it to your life, you are not growing spiritually as God wants you to.
For instance, the verse Isaiah 26:3 tells us we can have perfect peace. We read it, but do we believe it? Can we experience inner peace just by reading about it? No! The trust has to be here, the willingness to believe God will take care of your worries and problems and give peace for them.
We can also look at other verses such as 1 Peter 5:7 and Matthew 11:28 or Philippians 4:6-7. These are cross-references for Isaiah 26:3. We need to study them, yes, but we have to apply His Words to our hearts.
Remember in English class when we looked for �who, what, where, and why�?
Isaiah 26:3. �Who� (to whom) does God give peace? = you and me
�What� does He give? = perfect peace
�Where� does He give peace? = in our mind; making it steadfast
�Why� = because He loves us
I have to admit � at times I am a worrier. God has spoken to my heart at those times. I do read and study; I have memorized many verses over my seventy-two years and I will continue to do this, but I am making a real effort to apply His words more and to mature spiritually. I need to give complete trust to Him in regards to concerns and worries in my life.
I hope you will do this too.

Dottie

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HOPE

The word hope is most often used as a verb ~ �I hope today will be a nice day.� �We hope to go on vacation next week.� �I hope you are feeling better.� �We hope the weather will be good for the picnic.� But �hope� is also a noun. The dictionary definition is �a feeling that what is wanted will happen; desire accompanied by anticipation or expectation�.
Proverbs 13:12 states, �Hope deferred makes the heart sick�� Perhaps you have often experienced the hope that situations could and would change, the hope that circumstances in your life would be different, only to have that hope dashed and destroyed again and again. You can fill in the details of your experiences. For each one of us there have been different challenges and discouragements along the way. But the second part of that proverb is an encouragement to not give up, �but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.� That Hope brings joy to my heart and a smile to my face. God is faithful to bring about His purposes for my life!
As we look at Lamentations 3:25, 26, we read, �The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD�. He is the only one who has the ability to fulfill our deep longings. Why? The answer is in verses 22, 23, �Because of the LORD�S great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.� We can claim verse 24 for ourselves, �I say to myself, �The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.�
May you experience God�s faithfulness today as you trust Him and wait upon Him, no matter what the circumstances are in your life. And may you move from �I hope� (v.), to �My hope (n.) is in the LORD�.
My challenge and encouragement to you today is to memorize Romans 15:13, �May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.�

djm

Accepting Correction

Did you cringe at that title? Being corrected or called to accountability has got to be one of the most difficult things we as humans face. I will be first (well maybe) to admit that I do not like to be corrected, called on the carpet for my behavior or confronted about my attitudes. Yes, I give you all permission to tell my husband I admitted this to be true.

As humans we are naturally self-protecting and our pride really gets in the way of our being able to honestly look at the errors of our ways. It�s one thing to have God tap me on the shoulder, but to have another human do it � UGH!!

What I do know it that scripture tells us to confront one another, hold each other accountable and to accept correction as from God. It is then that we can grow and become the persons or women God really desires for us to be. Not only that but it may keep others from growing if they continually watch our wrong behaviors and attitudes. Proverbs 10:17 states that �He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.� Have you ever thought of it that way � you are not just keeping yourself from fully experiencing God, but others too. Let�s keep that thought going...Proverbs 13:18 �He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored.� Proverbs 15: 31-32 �He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise. He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.�

Do you see that heeding correction brings life, understanding, wisdom and honor? On the other hand ignoring correction brings self-loathing, poverty, and shame. So which of those attributes do you desire in your life? Me... I�ll take the first set that gives life. There is still another side to look at ~ not just will you accept rebuke, but do you care enough about others to gently rebuke them? Yes, the word is gently and with lots of love. This means to those you love and know � don�t try this out on strangers. Well, that�s the subject for a totally different devotion.

LDJ

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Amazing Grace

Of all the songs I love to sing, this is one �if not the one- which I love the most. Think about it. �Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I am found, was blind but now I see.� Everyone today, who believes Christ and receives Him as Lord and Savior, was once lost and blind, but now found and able to see.
It was many years after I first learned this song, before I began to get a hint of its history. A few more years would pass before I read the whole story of the author�s salvation. And a few more years before I discovered that his true conversion didn�t take place until a few years after he received Christ. Believe me I was totally shocked by this revelation. As an American of African/Native American (?) decent, it suddenly felt weird to sing a song written by a professing Christian who�s livelihood was the buying and selling of human beings; people who looked just like me I was shocked, outraged, confused. What did this mean? How could this man call himself a Christian and then do such a horrible thing. (Have you every heard or seen something and had that thought come to your mind? If it wasn�t so serious, it would almost be laughable.)
Anyway, I smile to myself here and now at the goodness of our faithful, faithful, faithful God. One glimpse at the Cross of Christ and one long, long look at myself very quickly exposed me in all my ugliness, to myself. And I am a Christian!! Yes a Christian, who, like John Newton is in the process, process, process, of transforming change. I can no more harshly judge him now than I could judge my own heart, were it laid bear before a Holy Righteous God.
Sure, if I were to compare me to him, I might be strongly tempted to say, �Well, at least I never did something as horrible as selling slaves.� But, if I set as my standard of righteousness, as God�s own righteousness then I don�t look so good, even to myself.
So, I conclude with this. Amazing Grace, how sweet this sound, this fact, that saved a sinful wretch like me. I once was lost, but now, I am found. I was blind, but now I see.
God�s grace is amazing! And were it not for His grace, oh dear one�s what wretches we would all surely be.

My Challenge to You Today:
Pause and ponder the goodness and the grace, the unmerited favor of God. And then bow down and worship, He who is the God of Your salvation!

Stephanie

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Our vacation this year was at the beach of South Carolina.

Our vacation this year was at the beach of South Carolina. It was a first for us down there, having each son, his wife and two or three of our grandchildren join us. Every four days we shared our vacation time with a new family. For us, this was the greatest joy for a parent to have. We are a close family and I thank God for this. Although we have had many trials and a lot of illnesses God has kept us all together in love and care. In Matthew 7:9-11 Christ speaks of our gifts to our children. I love how He uses the examples of contrast: if our son asks for bread would we say, �Here is a stone�? or if he asks for a fish would we give him a serpent? Of course we wouldn�t: we love him! Jesus adds, �How much more will your Father who is in heaven give you good things to those who ask�. He is my heavenly Father, and I am His child, because I asked Him into my heart and life at the age of nine (John 1:12). My earthly father is no longer here, but my heavenly Father remains with me forever, giving me eternal life.
As I sat on the beach, I watched my children and their children enjoying the waves with my husband. Most of my time is spent sitting on a beach chair due to a muscle disease. However, I enjoyed the whole day! I get special treatments such as buckets of water for my feet, an umbrella to keep me in the shade and just �being there� with them brings joy.
One day God sent me a little visitor while I sat there all alone. A sea gull came up to me, right next to my chair, with just one good leg and only part of the other. He hopped up close by and tears came to my eyes. I began to feed him crumbs from my bread; I even talked to him � he didn�t fly away! You probably can figure out what happened as other sea gulls flew down. The little bird with his crippled leg was able to fly away without help.
I felt God was speaking to my own heart as I realized that one day I too will not need my wheelchair or special help to walk. I�ll be taken by God to heaven � I�ll somehow �fly away� to heaven! What joy!

Come. Fly with me!

Dottie

Overcoming the Joybuster of Discontentment II

�So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger�� Deuteronomy 8:3

Remember our statement about discontentment: it is having what we do not want or wanting what we do not have.
I love Deuteronomy 8. It is so rich with history, truth, reminders and challenges. I specifically selected our verse today because it beautifully illustrates how God creates needs in our lives. In our verse, we see that God humbled the Israelites and ALLOWED them to hunger. Let that sink in a minute. He actually allowed them to hunger. Why? I believe he created that need in their lives so that they would trust Him to fulfill it. God does not create a need in our life that He is not already the answer to.
The problem is that when we have an area of lack or want in our life we tend to look for every possible solution other than God. We grumble and complain. We run hither and yon looking for someone or something to fill the void.
Discontentment can arise between the time God creates the need in our life, and the time we go to Him to fill it. Too often when we are discontent we lack joy in our lives. Discontentment can cause our joy to drain away.
Do you realize we can be content in the most difficult of circumstances? We can have joy in the midst of trial? �My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.� (James 1:2-4).
Let me close with the remainder of our days verse from Deuteronomy 8:3-5, �So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. You shall know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you.�

What is God allowing in your life today that He wants to be the answer to?

Diane

Overcoming the Joybuster of Discontentment I

Luke 12:15, �And He said to them, �Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one�s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.��

One of the underlying problems women (and men) experience is discontentment. The old adage, �The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence� seems to play out daily in our homes, jobs, relationships and churches. I don�t think it is a desire for material things necessarily, although sometimes it is just that. I know of women who frequently complain about the size or condition of their home.
From my experience within the church and within the counseling office, the greater areas of discontentment with women are related to relationships, children who are not as obedient as we want, a boss that doesn�t appreciate our ability, a husband that isn�t as affectionate as we�d like, elderly parents that are becoming a �burden�, etc. According to the dictionary discontentment is �a sense of grievance: dissatisfaction; restless aspiration for improvement.�
Where does discontentment come from? Here are just a few thoughts � unmet longings (not having what we want); having what we don�t want (i.e. cancer); unmet expectations; our upbringing; our view of life; having the wrong focus; and change. I am sure there are other roots but this gives you and idea.
Ultimately, discontentment comes from our heart. It is having what we don�t want or wanting what we don�t have. It is a form of idolatry. Discontentment is taking a desire and elevating it to a need. For example, I would like to have cleaning lady every week, but I can�t. If I start to complain about how overworked I am, how messy the house looks, the lack of help, etc. I am communicating through my actions and attitudes that I NEED a cleaning lady every week to be happy or content. I know it is a silly example, but take the principle and apply it to your job, your home, your marriage, your children, your siblings, etc. The list can go on and on. We can make anything a need in our own minds. When that need goes unmet, we are discontent.

My challenge for you today is to ask the Lord if there are any areas of your life in which you are either experiencing or exhibiting discontentment.

Diane

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A Stitch in Time ~ Saves Nine

Lately I've had a few reasons to reflect on this old saying. First my
husband has spent the last month going weekly to the doctor to have these
growths removed from his head, which he has allowed to grow over the course
of several years. He's almost done, but I can tell you next time he finds
one growing he will go in immediately and have it taken care of - it will
avoid almost 30 stitches. Then Katrina struck and the levy's broke. We
all know the story - if only we had fixed the levies before the hurricane it
would have saved lots of lives and money in rebuilding. I can't help but
believe that each of you can also think of times that if you had dealt with
something immediately it would have meant less fuss and hassle in the long
run.

It's the same in our spiritual lives - we can let things slack off and
before you know it we are far from where we want to be or could be. We all
know the verse about making sure we don't go to bed angry. That's because
if we don't deal with issues or sins in our lives when they are in the early
stages they grow big, ugly and get all distorted.

Are there small sins in your life you are ignoring just hoping they will go
away? Is there conflict you think you can keep buried? Do you need to do
some spiritual repair work on your life so that when the floods come you
won't be overtaken? I see so many people with torn apart lives because they
put off dealing with small sins or habits. Don't be like that. Have a talk
with God - start the repairs now then keep up with the preventive
maintenance.

LDJ